Can You Hear Us NOW?

[NanceGreggs]

Can You Hear Us NOW?
By Nancy Greggs

Today was the day. It was a day of rousing music and quiet introspection, a day of the fusion of ideas and ideals, a day of hope, a day of enlightenment; it was a day unlike any other day in the world’s history.

As all of us watched the magic unfold, and listened to the soundtrack of a world in unparalleled unison, there were others who watched – and learned.

World leaders saw millions of citizens who will no longer accept the status quo, those who are demanding change not only in their own countries, but in nations around the globe.

Politicians saw millions of voters whose ballots will be cast for leaders who represent not only stewardship of the earth, but stewardship of freedom, of rights, of justice, of fairness.

Corporations saw millions of conscientious consumers who they will have to cater to – consumers who demand not only goods produced in a way that protects the environment, but the rights of workers and the concept of a fair wage – lest they face a dwindling bottom-line.

There was one vision that lingered in my mind today, as I watched the footage of millions upon millions of people from every corner of the globe. It was the image of all of the corrupt politicians, the media enablers, the neo-cons, the greedy corporate CEOs, the polluters, the liars, the obfuscators of justice, the war-mongerers, the torturers, the religious leaders who betray God for the promise of money and power, the deniers of freedom, the promoters of hate -- and as I envisioned them all together in one group, I realized how small their numbers are in comparison to those of us who despise everything they stand for.

Today we have seen the New World Order, and it is peopled by those who say, loudly and in one voice: If my brother is enslaved, I cannot be truly free. If my neighbor is hungry, I cannot be truly nourished. If my countryman must go without, what I have is meaningless. If my global sister is denied her rights, my rights have also been denied. If my global brother is being tortured, I will never be free of suffering. If the lives of those around me are not of a value equal to mine, than I am of no value at all.

Today has been a great day, an historic day; a day whose music will linger, whose light of truthfulness will illuminate, whose magic will inspire, and whose message will not be forgotten.

Now I’ve been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come, and I believe it could be, something good has begun*

This, my friends, is just the beginning …

Kudos to President Al Gore for his vision, to all of the technicians who brought that vision to the world's stages, to all of the artists who gave that vision life, and to all of our fellow world citizens who, along with us, will make this vision a reality.

* “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens

[Sparkly]

1. President Gore impresses the hell outta me!!!

:loveya: :woohoo:

[Bitwit1234]

34. Al Gore is not meant to be president he is meant

to be the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD. I think his mission is to be the catalyst that will help change the global warming trend. His mission has been made clear.

Any body can be president....bush proves that.........but it takes a real man with a real conscience to what Al Gore it doing. And we all know he has the courage and the sta mia to continue....Go Gore. Show the world what a real American Man is, not the turd bush who stole the white house.

[KansDem]

44. He impressed the hell outta a majority of American voters in 2000

Even after the trashjob given him by CorpMedia, but alas, Squint was made POTUS by his cabana boys (and girl) on the SCOTUS, and the rest is "mystery history."

[waleska]

46. Al Gore has the experience!

but maybe a little to much..

On the 4th of August 1997, NewsWeek readied Kathleen Willey’s story for publication and Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Kenneth Lay met to discuss the global warming treaty in Kyoto. Kenneth Lay was an enthusiastic advocate of Kyoto for two reasons:
1. Cap and Trade
2. The treaty’s preference of natural gas over coal

Read Jerry Taylor’s (Cato Institute) piece in the Wall Street Journal, January 21 2002 (pg: A12) to learn a bit about the global warming con-game.

Kyoto was nothing more than an Enron welfare program

Aside from Kyoto, Al Gore may have invented the internet while InfoUSA’s Gupta was napping in the Lincoln bedroom.. but Tyco, Global Crossing, and Enron installed it.. offshore. Does India know Al Gore invented the internet?

The “inventor of the internet” also failed to back up White House email from 1996 thru 1998 and 2000

On the 18th of November 2001, Al Gore joined Metropolitan West Financial (Drexel Burnham Lambert) as vice-chairman, concentrating on biotechnology and information businesses. Drexel Burnham Lambert has that Gary Winnick (Global Crossing) and Michael Milken kind of sound to it.
As Reagan would say: “Well, here we go again”

A wise investor will foresee the next Enron (Kinder-Morgan) and remember that Al Gore is a director of Apple and a senior advisor to Google and his “blind trust” will sell these shares before you do.. just before they are intentionally collapsed.

[pretzel4gore]

2. the mediawhores gonna have a field day

they will mock the very idea of 'Live Earth', but they are paid to do it, and they have long ago declared their contempt for planet earth...

[emanymton]

26. That You Can Be Assured.

.
It is amazing how absurd 'conservative' paid talking heads' points of contention are. 'Tucker' tried desperately to make how the whole effort was really about Al Gore. He mocked the 'Live Earth' efforts on the ground of carbon foot-prints.

These neo-cons are circling the wagons. The snake oil salesmen are leaving town before they are run out on a rail. "The people are coming" is a headline being written by Washington DC pundits. This will not be telecast live (nor reported on by "The Wall Street Journal").
.

[Raksha]

42. Let 'em sneer all they want to.

They are irrelevant now, and they will very soon know it if they don't already.

[rosesaylavee]

3. It is the beginning...

PEOPLE are energized. We need to do something about our leadership in this country. We need to get

LOUD!

and if that doesn't work, we need to get

LOUDER

.

The US leadership needs to start paying attention to us or change ... NOW.

[getmeouttahere]

4. Millions of conscientious consumers - I sure hope so!

because unless someone can prove otherwise, it's the only power we have left. And thanks for pointing it out, Nance. Where and with whom we choose to spend our money is the one and only chance we have to affect change. Will Americans follow the lead of the world on this? Will the sheeple stop drinking the Kool-Aid (and buying it, for that matter) or will tomorrow be the same-old, same-old?

[rubberducky]

5. ((((((hugs to Nance))))))

You have done it again!! KNR Seems sooo good to have you back and posting. Take care of yourself! Missed you soooo much when you weren`t here.

[BattyDem]

6. I know today was supposed to be about the climate crisis ...

but as I watched, I couldn't help feeling that it was about much more than that. :-)

Great post, Nancy! :hi:

[NanceGreggs]

8. Same feeling here!!!

A grand-slam example of, "Hey, I'm concerned about the environment -- but while I've got your attention, here's WHAT ELSE I'm pissed-off about ..."

A great day!

[Decruiter]

11. I like to see it as a world wide shout out to us, the citizens of the US, to

stand up, to lead as "we, our government" has said, it is time for us, "we the people", to stand up for all we say we believe in. Let's us all lead the world ,into a better world. I know it is truly a lot to hope for, but that is what we promised the world with our "Declaration of Independence". I know I'll ever forget today, July 7, 2007. Something special happened and is still happening this day!

Music brings us all together.

We all live on this planet. Let us all strive to make it a good place to be. For our children and our grandchildren. Let us please not leave them a wasteland wondering why we had to spend so much on weapons to destroy one another with, but rather on saving our planet and taking care of everyone here.

Someone said it today, take care of the least...............

[NanceGreggs]

12. That reads like a prayer ...

... and I humbly add my "Amen".

[Decruiter]

14. Thank you Nance, it was heartfelt. That is all. Today has truly been

amazing.

[understandinglife]

7. "There was one vision that lingered in my mind today, as I watched the footage of millions upon ...

... upon millions of people from every corner of the globe. It was the image of all of the corrupt politicians, the media enablers, the neo-cons, the greedy corporate CEOs, the polluters, the liars, the obfuscators of justice, the war-mongerers, the torturers, the religious leaders who betray God for the promise of money and power, the deniers of freedom, the promoters of hate -- and as I envisioned them all together in one group, I realized how small their numbers are in comparison to those of us who despise everything they stand for."

Precisely.

And, that is a reality they have done everything they possibly could to suppress.

And, they've failed.

The "We" of "the People" is no longer a matter of national citizenship, it is a collective reality of global citizenship.

Today the message is clear - "We the citizens of the world" will be our own stewards of the future of the planet, of humanity, of species diversity, and we will enable every one of our fellow citizens to connect, share, grow and experience the joy of being not only alive but able to express our unique enjoyment of the planet and the universe.

Thank you,
Bob

"To the future - one that we will all should strive to be as minimally like the past, as possible."

[NanceGreggs]

9. "That is a reality they have done everything ...

... they possibly could to suppress. And, they've failed."

Yes, they have failed miserably - and it only took ONE day of a collective raising of voices to expose that failure in front of the entire world.

[puebloknot]

17. Gore said, in front of the Native American Museaum in D.C.....

...(paraphrasing): There are some who tried to prevent this from happening.....

Didn't work. Didn't work big time!!!! America's first peoples know how to throw a great party!!!

[understandinglife]

39. They certainly do!!

:hi:


Peace.

[Decruiter]

27. A very large collective number of voices in song and praise.

For peace, for love. I felt it all day long. So many people, so many kids, Brazil was the best. Little ones everywhere.

We exposed "their" failure, now we have to push on. This is a fight I really have no desire to be in, it is a fight to the death. We get to choose life or death and it is going to be a fight.

I look to Eugene Debs and Smedley Butler and several others, but the two of them, well they rock my world.

[loudsue]

37. So true. n/t

:kick:

[madamesilverspurs]

35. Exposure of failure notwithstanding

Bush and Company will persist in ignoring those millions of voices, no doubt claiming executive privilege in the process.

[puebloknot]

16. And there is one word uttered today by Al Gore that lingers in my mind:

He called on us to *DEMAND* (not ask, not suggest) that our leaders sign on to a global climate treaty to try to impact global warming.

And the lyrics of a song (not one I heard today) are still singing to me: "Let's get together and feel all right." That happened today, all over the world!

YYYYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

[madamesilverspurs]

36. The song I kept hearing (in memory, anyway)

began with these words: "Once there were green fields, kissed by the sun. Once there were valleys where rivers used to run..."

[Raksha]

45. I remember and love that song too, but there is another song

that runs through my mind whenever I'm foolish enough to have hope for the world and its people, and to believe in the dawning of the New Age against all odds, and all conventional wisdom. It's a song by Stan Rogers, about the raising of a sunken ship called the Mary Ellen Carter by her loyal crew. I just posted these words on another forum, in response to a post directing my attention to Nancy's beautiful prophetic vision:

And you to whom adversity has dealt the final blow,
With laughing bastards lying to you everywhere you go,
Turn to and put forth all your strength of mind and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

[Decruiter]

10. K & R Nance! You have said it all. "it was a day unlike any other day in the world’s history"..

"This, my friends, is just the beginning..."

Most wonderful to me today was to see all the youth so involved.

The world, it is changing, I hope we can all really join together and make it be for the good.

We've all got lots of leaders to lean on, to seek wisdom from, humanity does still have a chance.

Thanks again Nance for putting my voice to words here at DU, to Al Gore, to all the musicians who gave of their time and talent, to every person that helped to pull this amazing day off.

"Now I’ve been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come, and I believe it could be, something good has begun*

[Arugula Latte]

13. I remember Earth Day of 1990

Remember? It got a huge amount of attention. I attended events in San Francisco and was inspired and uplifted. I really thought Americans would change their ways. Looking back, I was prematurely optimistic.

I hope today marks the start of some true change.

[The Wizard]

15. It's a step

in the right direction, a big step. As Molly Ivins implored us: Raise hell, bang pots and pans.

[JeffR]

18. It's time

:dem:

[ladym55]

19. What a powerful message!

"If my brother is enslaved, I cannot be truly free. If my neighbor is hungry, I cannot be truly nourished. If my countryman must go without, what I have is meaningless. If my global sister is denied her rights, my rights have also been denied. If my global brother is being tortured, I will never be free of suffering. If the lives of those around me are not of a value equal to mine, than I am of no value at all."

I just had to repeat that so we could read it again. Wow and wow.

:applause:

[Usrename]

20. Yep, that was my favorite, too.

NanceGreggs gets it right once more. :applause:

[NotGivingUp]

31. LOVE IT!!! nt

[loudsue]

38. A perfect quote to send in every e-mail to everyone in our address books...

Spread the word...the PEOPLE are speaking!! Loud enough to drown out the paid-for-propaganda-press.

:kick:

[Uncle Joe]

21. Thank you Nancy Greggs.

It was a beautiful day!:)

[Babsbrain]

22. A perfect ending to a remarkable day! Thank you.

[Kurovski]

23. A beautiful one.

K&R.

[HDHNTR]

24. Amen! n/t

[emanymton]

25. But Al Gore Is Too Fat. Edwards Pays Too Much ...

.
for his hair cut. What do you mean corporate media does not cover the important events in the world? Paris Hilton went to jail so it was reported. Corporate news knows what the people want to be told.

Yours is the voice of sanity in an insane world. Thank you for your efforts.

Write On!

[Conscious Confucius]

28. Though I'm skeptical, I really hope the people will act.

I hate to give up on Americans and political action. I really hope some sort of grassroots movement will come out of this. Maybe I'm a bit jaded, but as Al Gore rightfully proclaims in his book, people just don't care anymore. Years of corporate subversion have worked on dulling the American spirit. That coupled with the corporate rightwing media and the destruction of the Bush administration, I just believe that everybody has given up. Two stolen elections, all the 9/11 fear mongering and an illegal, immoral war hasn't inspired any change, how will this concert? I hate to think that my generation will be the one that lost it all, but that's the way I feel right now. I really hope something changes. I really do.

[gademocrat7]

29. Thank you, NaceGreggs

Truly a day of hope and inspiration. A day a real world leader spoke eloquently and people world wide listened.

[The_Commonist]

30. Well said!

Other comments have mentioned this, but it really got to me just now, so I would like to reiterate:

<b>"If my brother is enslaved, I cannot be truly free. If my neighbor is hungry, I cannot be truly nourished. If my countryman must go without, what I have is meaningless. If my global sister is denied her rights, my rights have also been denied. If my global brother is being tortured, I will never be free of suffering. If the lives of those around me are not of a value equal to mine, than I am of no value at all."</b>

There are people who STILL don't get this. How can that possibly be? We all grew up in the same culture, how can so many be so blind to this simple notion? It really boggles my mind sometimes!

So... we REALLY have to do something about this. Something significant, and pretty damn quickly. I believe that the most important thing that needs to be addressed is the huge profits that go straight to the top of the food chain from much of what we consume, and the credit we use to consume it. Large concentrations of wealth that are built from consumer dollars, and used to oppress that same consumer. Traditionally, revolution has been about redirecting wealth, I believe we need to redirect PROFIT. That is a doable project. Use the system to buy back The Commons from the privatizers.

Before it's too late...

[Enthusiast]

32. We will only achieve the change

We will only achieve the changes needed if we change the media.

The media is now under strict control of the corporations.

They control the message. Their message: These concerts are done by a bunch of weirdo tree hugging extremists and there is no global warming threat and if there is one, the sun did it.

[Jackpine Radical]

33. You're pointing to what may be our biggest problem, that of the corporate media.

However, many of us are coming to see the classic media as declining in power and relevance. Take note of the fact that yesterday most of the world was made aware of a gigantic and powerful message that "the media" didn't want them to have. Take note of the fact that people are streaming into theaters to see movies like Inconvenient Truth and now Sicko. In both cases they are getting "unapproved" messages. And further, take note that our seditious little conversation here is taking place in spite of those who would stop us, and it is taking place in an environment friendly to our way of thinking.

[EFerrari]

40. And, kudos to Nance.

:applause:

[ChiciB1]

41. Wonderful Post! Unfortunately I Myself Have Heard Almost NOTHING

about the Phenomenal presentations of yesterday!!! I watched for almost all day, and CNN covered almost nothing of it!!

I could be mistaken and if others have seen any real credit given to Al Gore and what he did, I would LOVE to have it! I felt better about being an American yesterday than I have in a very long time... so who other than us is actually giving him the credit that is his due???

[Raksha]

43. K & R Thank you Nance for pointing out the first light of dawn...

the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, that I have waited for and hoped for all my life, that I have believed in against all odds, when even the possibility of hope seemed absurd and ridiculous.

AND IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME TOO!!!